KH Mix Tape Challenge
by imkikyo
Summary: Pick a fandom, then pick ten random songs with lyrics from your own personal collection. For each song write a fanfic from that fandom based on one verse or stanza of the song. That is this. When there are pairings, they're either RikuxSora or AxelxRoxas.
1. Track 01 Senyaichiya

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
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_Hajime mo owari mo iranakatta kimi no me ga tsubuyaita  
__Donna kioku o sagashitara mune no fukami e todoku no darou  
__Nagasugita, kimi no iu hibi wa hitoyo no yume no you de  
__Owaru kotoba shinjirarenai mezame no toki wa mada tooi_

Naminé's words are still echoing in my head. I am dreaming, sleeping softly to recover my memories. Suddenly I realize that when I wake up, I won't remember this dream.

I can see Naminé promising to restore the memories she disrupted. In my dream, I'm watching as Marluxia falls to the ground and fades away. It's like everything I just experienced is happening again, in reverse. Naminé is refusing to erase what distorted memories I have left, and the Riku Replica is leaving to seek its place in life. Now the Replica is lying on the ground, its heart broken, and Larxene is laughing at me.

Naminé is confessing to me that she's not the girl I made the promise to. But then, who did I promise to protect? The charm she gave me doesn't look the same, but it's still familiar. I'm talking to Riku now, and it takes me a while to remember that this is the Riku from my memories, the one who lived on Destiny Islands. He's the same as ever; he's not at all like the Riku I fought in this castle.

Vexen is standing in front of a large iron gate, imploring me to ignore my memories. But how am I supposed to know what to do if I don't listen to the memories in my heart? Axel has stepped in and ran a chakram right through Vexen. It's obvious he did so to shut Vexen up, but I wish I had known what he was going to say.

I'm fighting Riku again. We're both holding out the charms that Naminé gave us, but neither of us knows which is real and which is fake. It seems like the only way we can solve the problem is by beating each other into oblivion. Larxene is taunting me, forcing me to spit out the name of the girl who gave me my good luck charm back on the islands. I finally remember- her name is Naminé.

I'm walking down the hallways of the castle, laughing. Donald and Goofy suggested that I might end up forgetting Kairi, and I know for sure that I would never forget her. After all, she's the person most important to me. I hold out the charm she gave me to prove it. I ask them, then, if they might forget the King, and they laugh it off the way I did.

Goofy is telling me about another castle we were once in, as we walk up a flight of stairs. He says I turned into a Heartless there, but Donald and I don't remember it at all. Since Goofy can't even remember the name of the castle, we convince him- and each other- that he's just making it up.

Donald, Goofy and I stand dumbly as a man in a black coat explains to us that we are in Castle Oblivion, where to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. He throws me some cards that he says are made from my memories. I think it's absolutely ridiculous, but each card does indeed bring me to a world I visited before. The first few seem infinitely familiar, but with each passing floor, I recognize the worlds and the people inside less and less.

Now the dream is oddly blank. Nothing is happening; I'm just sort of floating in an empty space. For a while, I wonder why I'm still asleep, and where my dream had previously taken place. I can't remember anything about the place that I was just dreaming of, or any of the people that were there. That blonde-haired girl, and all the people in black coats- they were firmly rooted in my memory a few minutes ago, but now I have no idea who they are. The same goes for that eerie white castle.

I'm on the islands, fighting Riku. We're young, both of us still children, and we're wielding wooden swords. Though we're competing fiercely, we're both laughing along with Kairi, who is watching. Time passes, and suddenly Kairi announces that she wants to see other places. Riku and I agree to go with her, and we all get to work building a raft. A terrible storm hits the island, and I go outside to see that there are strange dark creatures running around. A giant key materializes in my hand, which I use to beat back the creatures. Riku is waiting for me by his infamous tree, and he reaches out a hand to me. I am too late to grab it before Riku is swallowed up by the dark clouds, and disappears. With the giant key, I manage to defeat the enormous monster that emerged from the clouds, and I am plunged into a blank, empty plane as the islands vanish.

I come to in a foreign town, where I meet Leon, Yuffie, Cid, and Aeris. Leon teaches me about those dark creatures, called Heartless. As I look around for Riku and Kairi, I am apprehended by another huge monster, and I dispose of it along with the newly-met Goofy and Donald. They tell me that their King instructed them to find the "Keybearer," which I realize must be me.

With their Gummi ship, we travel to all kinds of different worlds, learning more about the Heartless as we go. We discover that the Heartless aim to capture the heart of each world they infest, so I seal the Keyholes of every world with my Keyblade.

Along the way, I see Riku several times. He's changed, though. He's become much more cruel and thoughtless than the Riku I knew, and he seems to enjoy taunting and hurting me. When we meet on a pirate ship, he reveals to me that he's found Kairi, and that he can use the power of darkness. He tells me that Kairi lost her heart, and that he's doing whatever it takes to get it back. He then scoffs and observes that I haven't been as devoted to her as he has.

Finally we end up at Hollow Bastion, the original home of Leon and the gang. Riku is here, along with Maleficent, who has been controlling the Heartless. I watch, powerless, as Riku is consumed by the darkness in him. First, it just seems like he's an entirely different person. Then it becomes apparent that that's just the case; his body has been taken over by Ansem. He tells me that Kairi's heart is inside me, and that he will have to take my heart to get it back. He fights me with a Keyblade that he says has the power to unlock people's hearts, but he loses. Knowing what must be done, I plunge his Keyblade into my own heart, freeing Kairi's as well. In the form of a Heartless, I catch up to her, and she helps me regain my heart and human form.

His plan to unlock the final Keyhole with the Seven Princesses foiled, Riku vanishes into the Dark Depths. Donald, Goofy and I follow him in the Gummi ship to a world that is comprised of the remains of all the worlds that were lost to the darkness. Inside are all kinds of vile Heartless, but we battle our way through and find ourselves at a large door. The door leads us back to Destiny Islands, where we find Riku. But he is no longer Riku, as his physical form gives way to Ansem's.

After a long and grueling battle, in which Ansem uses all the dark power he can summon to try to defeat us, we finally get the better of the Seeker of Darkness. His last wish is for Kingdom Hearts to bestow upon him even more darkness, but instead it pierces him with light. Donald, Goofy and I rush to close the door to darkness, but we cannot do it alone. It is only when King Mickey and Riku- the real Riku- help us from the other side that we are able to seal the door. As it closes, I promise to Riku that I'll protect Kairi in the last few seconds that I can see his face.

The dream has gone blank again, like it was at the beginning. No, the last time this happened was not the beginning of my dream, but I can't remember any fragment of the first part of my dream. I am forced to conclude that my dream is fading from me even as I experience it, and when I wake up, I won't know any of it.

My eyes are opening, but I am not fully awake. Through a translucent kind of wall, I can barely make out a head of short blonde hair that spikes in all directions, a white shirt, and black and tan pants. I'm aware that I had a lengthy dream, but I remember nothing of it. The walls fold down, so that I can see him more clearly, though I'm still in a state of semi-consciousness. Faintly, I hear the words "It looks like my summer vacation's… over," and the figure in front of me seems to disappear.

I am finally awake, and I step out of the large pod that it seems I'd been sleeping in. I can't recall any dream I might have had, so I assume that my sleep was dreamless. As I look down at myself, I realize I must have been sleeping for a very long time, since I've well outgrown my clothes. However, I don't remember when I went to sleep, or why. Donald and Goofy are just as clueless. Jiminy's journal is no more helpful, as it only says two words: "Thank Naminé."

Who Naminé is, or what we should thank her for, we have no idea. But for now, we put that mystery aside and head out to see how the post-Ansem world is.

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I think this is one of my favorites, out of all ten that I wrote. It's also the longest. If the dream thing confuses you, then it probably helps to know that in the first half of the dream, he's reliving his memories in reverse, and in the second half, they go in order.

Lyric translation-  
Your eyes whispered "We don't need beginnings or endings."  
What kind of memories do I have to search for that will reach deep into my heart?  
The days that you said were too long seemed like a dream that lasted just one night.  
I can't believe it is coming to an end; it's too early to wake up.


	2. Track 02 One Winged Angel

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
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_Veni, veni, venias  
__Ne me mani facias  
__Veni, veni, venias  
__Ne me mani facias_

Thwarted once by the Keybearer, Xemnas sought refuge in his ruined Kingdom Hearts. The heroes who'd ruined his plans so well watched in horror from below as he convinced Kingdom Hearts to grant his wishes. If he were to fade away, Kingdom Hearts would lose its largest source of hearts. If it were to degenerate, he'd lose any hope he might have had of finding his heart.

Absorbed into the depths of Kingdom Hearts, Xemnas never expected the Keybearers to follow. The brunette and the silver-haired one had come to stop him, but it seemed the mouse had been left behind. With all of the Dark City at his disposal, Xemnas placed whatever structural obstacles he could in front of them, but nothing seemed to work.

Thwarted twice by the Keybearer, Xemnas allowed himself to slowly fade from sight. In his wake, he left a handful of triumphant heroes, believing that they'd vanquished him at last. He waited until it was just the brunette and silver-haired Keybearers left before putting an end to their celebration.

_ Hearts truly are the source of all power_, he thought, as he rose before them in his new vehicle—one resembling an enormous dragon constructed from pieces of the Castle that Never Was. This time, he would not be thwarted so easily.

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I really don't like this one. I mean, I really, really don't like this one. When One-Winged Angel started playing, I was like "Oh damn, how the hell am I going to write a Kingdom Hearts fanfic about this?" But, as displayed by Track 06, it's possible to write a fanfic based on pretty much anything, no matter how shitty it ends up.

Lyric translation-  
Come, come, O come,  
Do not let me die  
Come, come, O come,  
Do not let me die


	3. Track 03 Warp

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
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_If you wanna go there  
__To the farthest island  
__Spread your wings and fly high  
__You can see the island  
__In the summer breezing  
__Spread your wings and fly high to the sun_

"Hey, Riku."  
"Yeah?"  
"What do you think is out there?"  
"You mean like, other worlds?"  
"Yeah."  
"How am I supposed to know? That's why we're going, isn't it?"  
"Yeah."  
"We'll have to make sure to keep a journal of everything we see, so we'll never forget."  
"Everything? That's a lot of work."  
"So are you deciding you don't want to go?"  
"No way! I'm going wherever you are!"  
"Think so? You never know, Sora. What if we get separated somewhere along the way? Then what?"  
"Then I'll look for you, and I won't give up until I find you."  
"Oh? And what about Kairi? What if we get separated from her?"  
"Same thing."  
"What if you get separated from me and Kairi?"  
"Then I'll make you come looking for me."  
Riku laughed. "What if all three of us get separated?"  
"Then I'll cry and die. I dunno, Riku, what do you want me to say?"  
"I'm not looking for any particular answer. I'm just making sure you're prepared. Anything could happen, y'know?"  
"Yeah, well, I can handle anything that might happen."  
"Says you."  
"You wanna bet?"  
"Yeah, I do!"

The sun was setting over the small island, but Sora and Riku leapt up to find their wooden swords as though they were free to stay out all night. And, knowing how evenly matched they were, they probably would be. As they dueled fiercely to prove who was the more prepared adventurer, neither were aware of how very true Riku's hypothetical situations might become.

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This one's pretty silly, but I still like it quite a bit.


	4. Track 04 Edge

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
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_Ashita ni wa miete kuru mirai nante ROKU demo nai kedo  
__Sonna mono o shinjiteru baka na tsuyosa ga hoshii dake  
__Kitto koukai ya nagusame yori mo konkyo no nai netsuryou de  
__Ikite itai, sore dake de  
__Kanjiteru, aruiteru, kono basho ni tatte utatteru  
__Nani mo motazu ni koko ni iru  
__Ashita wa doko e yukou ka, we're too close to the edge_

Saïx looked out his window at Kingdom Hearts. As he did so, he knew that Roxas' other would be coming for him shortly. He and Xemnas were the only ones left, the two remaining survivors of Organization XIII. Roxas' other and the Keybearer with Xehanort's body had disposed of all the rest, with the exception of Vexen and Roxas.

_When did our Organization begin to fall?_ he wondered. Did it begin with Marluxia's treachery, or would Ansem's revenge have brought them down instead? In any case, the Organization had turned from a society of incomplete people searching to be whole to a dilapidated collection of people who were no longer certain what they needed and what they didn't.

Perhaps the flaw in the Organization's plans was the same as the one in Ansem's plans. Both required Roxas' other, and both fell apart as soon as he took action. Marluxia wanted to use the Keybearer to take control of the Organization. Xemnas intended to use the Keybearer to collect hearts for Kingdom Hearts. Ansem planned for the Keybearer to defeat the Organization XIII. All three plans worked fairly well, until the end. No, that wasn't true. As of yet, Ansem's plan had neither succeeded nor failed. Nor had Xemnas', but Saïx was sure that Roxas' other would not allow him to complete Kingdom Hearts.

What they sought wasn't nearly as bad as the Keybearers thought it was. All the Organization really wanted was to regain their hearts and become whole people again. It was as good a goal as any. Yet the Keybearers continued to fight in the name of the realm of light. Of course, their prize was not a cheap one, but there really was nothing else they could do except fade back into darkness. If Roxas' other had been given a choice, he likely would have made the same decision Roxas did- to become human again.

With eleven of their number gone, Saïx had little hope for the future of the Organization XIII. However, he would always be loyal to the end, so when he sensed the presence of the Keybearers in his quarters, he did not give up or come quietly.

He fought bravely to protect a goal he knew he would end up failing to achieve.

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This one is a combination of one of my favoritest songs and my favoritest Kingdom Hearts character. I think it could have been better, but I still like it a lot.

Lyric translation-  
The future visible in tomorrow isn't even close to satisfactory, but  
We only want the foolish strength that believes in that kind of thing  
Surely we want to live with a groundless passion  
Greater than regret, consolation, and the like, feeling only that much  
And walking, singing while standing in this place  
We are here holding on to nothing  
Where will we go tomorrow? We're too close to the edge


	5. Track 05 Hiru no Tsuki

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
Also, mansex. If you are for some reason or another opposed to mansex, then I suggest you skip Track 05. If not, then please continue. Now re-read the previous two sentences, but replace all appearances of the word "mansex" with the abbreviation "Axel/Roxas."  
Are we clear? Good. Let's go on.  
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_Atatakai kono omoi  
__Nee, hito wa donna namae de yondeiru no?_

"Axel… I hate to say it, but neither of us have hearts."  
"That doesn't stop Demyx, does it?"

Axel held his best friend firmly beneath him, pausing in an act that wasn't supposed to be so sensationless. Then again, they were Nobodies. They didn't have hearts. It was only to be expected that all pleasure they could have gained from the act was lost.

Oh, there was certainly still some kind of feeling. Roxas still squirmed as Axel claimed his young body, still moaned when Axel reached down to return the favor. Not only were they both somehow still able to become aroused, but they both still yelled to announce their release, Roxas more loudly than Axel. And Roxas was still unable to keep quiet during those moments when their bodies became one.

Perhaps it was simply the natural configuration of their senses that allowed them to do this. Rather than pure emotion, it was just the feel of an overwhelming tightness around him that triggered some memory of bliss in Axel's mind. And, as he found the spot deep inside his best friend that made him louder than ever, it was nothing more than his body's natural reaction and an expectation to fulfill. After all, emotions are only a perception of different chemicals. Even if they had no hearts with which to feel them, everything that would have given them pleasure beyond imagine was still there.

The act was still as empty and unsatisfying as ever, even as they collapsed after release. Despite being Nobodies, they always tried to make it seem as real as possible.

Meaning that Axel still pressed his mouth to his best friend's heavily panting one, and Roxas still entangled his fingers in a mane of red hair as he kissed back. They might have been incapable of loving each other, but they could at least fake it.

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I do kind of like this one. It's all... emo. Even though Nobodies don't have hearts. And the song is one I've had for years, before I knew what it was or where it came from.

Lyric translation-  
Such a warm feeling...  
Tell me, what's the name that people give to it?


	6. Track 06 Under the Sea

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
Shounen-ai warning. If you can't stomach even some mentioned shounen-ai, then you should drag your weak ass over to another chapter.  
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_Under the sea  
__Under the sea  
__Darling, it's better down where it's wetter  
__Take it from me  
__Up on the shore they work all day  
__Out in the sun they slave away  
__While we devoting full time to floating  
__Under the sea_

Sora scowled a bit, looking over Sebastian's newest lyric sheet.

"We do _so_ much more than work. We have all kinds of fun up on land!"  
"Like what?" Flounder asked, with one marine equivalent of an eyebrow raised.  
"Like playing Blitzball, and sword-fighting with Riku, and playing Truth or Dare on the beach, and…" Sora stopped himself when he realized that he was beginning a story he probably shouldn't finish.  
"Truth or Dare?" said Donald with a chuckle. "What kinds of dares did you guys do?"

Red-faced and surrounded by friends who wanted to hear the rest of his story, Sora gave in to the fact that he wouldn't be able to avoid telling it. "Well, there was this one time when I was playing with Riku and Kairi. We were around 12, so most of the dares were kind of lame. But then Kairi dared me to kiss Riku." He knew he shouldn't be talking about this, but it was the only complete memory he had that came from playing that game.  
"So of course, I did, 'cause Riku and I had a competition going, and the first one to refuse to do a dare lost. And I'd already lost at plenty of games to Riku. It started out pretty innocent, and then, ah…" Words failed Sora when he noticed the expressions on his friends' faces that clearly said "I can't believe you did that."  
"And then it ended pretty innocent too and Kairi laughed at me and Riku just kinda smirked. The end." _Smooth, Sora, really smooth_, he thought. In reality, Riku had grabbed his head and turned a simple peck on the lips into something much deeper, while Kairi just watched, half-surprised, half-amused. And that simple game had been the beginning of a relationship both boys knew they'd wished for, for so long. Neither had expected that _Kairi_ would be the one to set them up.

"What's this I hear about fun on land?" Ariel's inquisitive voice drifted over from some place behind them. Not eager to tell his story again, Sora quickly turned his attention back to the lyric sheet in his hands.

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This one's another stupid, silly one. I really wish I could have picked a different song...


	7. Track 07 Das Wandern

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
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_Willst du immer weiter wandern?  
__Sollst du mein auf ewig sein  
__Kahr' zurück, kahr' zurück  
__Zur Frühling treu und lieb  
__Kahr' zurück, kahr' zurück  
__Das Glück ist immer da  
__Das Glück ist immer da_

I sighed, thinking again of him. Before we were separated both from each other and from our island, we used to be the best of friends. Some people even liked to suspect we were more than friends. But, no matter how I wished that were the case, he was always too innocent to notice my overdone affection.

We used to spend every day on the beach, playing silly child's games and collecting seashells. Sometimes, when the sun was setting and it was too cold and dark to swim, we'd stare out across the sea and talk about what might be out there.

Everything changed when we decided to find out for ourselves. I remember how we sent him out to collect food and other miscellaneous supplies, while we built the raft in his absence. I remember all the fabulous plans the three of us had, to go on a spectacular journey and come home with all kinds of stories.

What actually happened was far from that. He was pulled away into his own epic adventure and left me behind, to wait. What other choice did I have at the time than the one I made? I'm not exactly a person content with waiting endlessly, so it shouldn't have surprised him when I ran off on my own to find him.

My big mistake was allowing myself to be captured, though. Once I'd fallen victim, there was no way for me to get out. I was used countless times as a weapon against him, no matter how I protested with arguments that were ignored anyway. I was so sure when he shut the door that we'd be able to come back to the islands, our paradise that we were so sick of. But all I could do was watch in sad realization as he slipped away from me.

Now I'm on a journey of my own, a journey to find him and bring him back. He's so close to me, yet so far away that I can't think of how to approach him. Maybe he'll reprimand me for losing control of my situation, or maybe he'll complain about how he had to run around to all kinds of worlds looking for me.

It's kind of funny, actually, because I've spent the whole time I've been gone looking for him. And, as I brush back a few strands of silver hair on my shoulder that aren't even mine, I wonder if I'll ever have the courage to ask him to come back with me.

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This is another of my favorites. When I was looking over the lyrics, they just screamed "SORAxKAIRI!!" to me, but I didn't want to write SoraxKairi. So I wrote from a perspective that could be interpreted as either Riku's or Kairi's, up until the very end. I'm so very proud of it. (huggles Track 07)

Due to my extremely limited knowledge of German, I'm not too confident with the translation of this song that I have. If there are any mistranslations or inaccuracies, let me know and I'll correct it.  
Lyric translation-  
Do you want to wander further on?  
(You) shall be mine eternally  
Come back, come back  
To the spring, faithful and tender  
Come back, come back  
There's always happiness  
There's always happiness


	8. Track 08 Simple and Clean

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
Moar shounen-ai. Be forewarned.  
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_Hold me  
__Whatever lies beyond this morning  
__Is a little later on  
__Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all  
__Nothing's like before_

They were all alone, sitting facing each other on the cold floor. Kairi had tactfully suggested that Donald and Goofy go scout out the currently unexplored regions of the Castle that Never Was, and that she go along, leaving Riku and Sora to discuss whatever needed to be discussed.

Or anything else they felt the need to do. The three of them had been friends for a long time, long enough for Kairi to realize exactly what was going on with the other two. Instead of being violently jealous, like they thought she would, she was actually quite supportive and understanding of them. So, when her and Riku finally met up with Sora, she sensed that they might want to do some catching-up, and she made sure they were alone.

Sora made a mental note to thank his other best friend when they got back to the islands. It had been over a year since the last time he was alone with Riku like this, and he treasured this time more than he could say.

"Sora." Riku's tone was laden with guilt. It made Sora uneasy.  
"Yeah?"  
"I… I'm sorry."  
"What for?"  
Riku looked down at himself, at the hands that were not his that pulled into view a lock of silver hair that was not his. "I allowed myself to be consumed by darkness. If I hadn't listened to Maleficent…."  
"Riku, it's not your fault."  
As he turned his gaze back to his best friend, Riku spotted something shiny behind him. In it, he caught the reflection of a pair of golden eyes that were not his. "This wouldn't have happened if Xehanort's Heartless hadn't possessed me."  
"Aw, come on, Riku. It was Xehanort who started everything. Even without you, there'd still be a Xemnas, and there'd still be an Organization XIII."  
Riku cringed as Sora took a hand that was not his in both of his own. A body like this one was not fit to be touched by someone as pure as Sora. "This body… this is my punishment for giving in to darkness. It's vile and filthy. I can't stand to look at it; I can't stand knowing that this is the body I live in. But this is what it took to repay you for the terrible things I did to you."  
Sora scooted forward until he was close enough to wrap his arms around his best friend. "I forgive you," he whispered into the ear that did not belong to Riku.  
"Sora…. What are you d—" Riku began, but was cut off when Sora pressed his lips to the ones that were not his. He quickly broke the kiss, looking down at his best friend with a mixture of sadness and longing in his eyes. "No, Sora. You deserve to love a Riku without such a disgusting body. Once we finish this battle and I get my body back, you can have all of me that you want."  
"But Rikuuuu," Sora whined, "I don't care about being tainted by the darkness or whatever. I don't care about whatever fights are waiting ahead. I want you right now."

Riku sighed and let Sora climb further into his lap, holding him there with a protective embrace. When he got stubborn like this, there was very little that could change his mind. And it wasn't like Riku didn't enjoy having his best friend in his arms again after so long.

Neither boy cared when they heard Kairi, Donald, and Goofy's voices and footsteps approaching. They only looked at each other with matching expressions that clearly said "Let them see." And see they did.

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This is another of my favorites, even though it didn't turn out the way I expected.  
There's a funny story behind Track 08, actually. When I picked out the song, it was pretty late and I didn't feel like writing. So I just put down the idea I had to remind me later when I actually sat down and wrote it. It makes me laugh every time I read it, so of course I saved it and am going to share it with you.

Um… Riku and Sora, when they meet in the World that Never Was. Sora's like "OMG RIKU ILU" and Riku's like "I hate to remind you, but we're in the fucking Organization XIII's headquarters," and Sora's like "LOLZ IDC RIKU IM JUST SO GLAD 2 C U!!" and Riku's like "Sora, we do kind of have a few more members of Organization XIII to brutally annihilate," and Sora's like "HOLD ME RIKU!" and Riku's like "No, Sora," and Sora's like "HOLD ME RIKU!" and Riku's like "No, Sora," and Sora's like "HOOOOLD ME, RIKUUU!!" and Riku's like "Fine, Sora, I'll hold you," and Sora's like "YAAAAY!"


	9. Track 09 Melody salva nos version

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
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_Dona nobis pacem  
__Dona eis requiem  
__Dominus misrere  
__Sanctus, Gloria_

The bright glow of Kingdom Hearts seemed to taunt Saïx as he gazed at it. To Xemnas, it meant the success of his research and experiments. To Saïx, as it did to many other members of Organization XIII, it meant the only remaining way to be whole. More likely than not, Xemnas was standing up at the Altar of Naught right now, staring at Kingdom Hearts much as Saïx was.

It was more than a massive collection of hearts. Since it passed the halfway-complete stage, Kingdom Hearts had become something of a god to the Organization XIII, and to most Nobodies. Kingdom Hearts was their salvation, their escape from the miserable non-existence of a Nobody. For Saïx, it was something even more than that. It was the source of his power. By absorbing the heavenly light that the heart-shaped moon gave off, he could gain strength beyond imagining.

Yes, Kingdom Hearts was the only thing that had the power to grant them a reprieve. It was no surprise that some Organization members worshipped it as a deity. There was nothing that more thoroughly governed their non-lives than Kingdom Hearts, so in return, they praised and thanked it. Really, it wasn't at all that different from the monotheistic religions practiced by people who still lived peacefully on their own worlds, undisturbed by Heartless or Nobodies.

And, as Saïx finished praying for a speedy completion of Kingdom Hearts, he couldn't help but wonder if he was one of those overzealous religious freaks.

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One more to go! I really don't like this one, mostly because I did pretty much the exact same thing with Edge. But this whole song screams "ORGANIZATION XIII ANGST," so I didn't have too much of a choice.  
Also, I don't mean to offend any overzealous religious freaks who might be reading.

Latin is really weird. If there's anyone out there who can give me verbal proof that Latin is not, in fact, a dead language, I will heed their claims of my translation containing an EPIC PHAIL. As long as they give me the correct translation, that is.  
Lyric translation-  
Give us peace  
Grant them rest  
Lord have mercy  
Holy, Glory


	10. Track 10 Yasashii Ryoute

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hence, fanfiction.  
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_Garasu no ori ni towarareteita  
__Tokenai omoi kizutsuita mama  
__Modoru koto nai kurayami no mukou  
__Hikari ga yashashiteiru darou_

Riku sat in a forgotten corner of the Dark City, brooding over his loss. Not only was his best friend sleeping with a heavily fragmented memory, but he'd just lost a spectacular fight to Sora's ghostly shadow.

DiZ had told him that bringing back Roxas was the key to waking Sora. So Riku planned not to come back until he had the Nobody under his control. However, there wasn't much left he could do to become stronger. If he were to fight Roxas again, right now, he'd probably lose again. The only solution was to find some way to overpower him.

Riku thought back to what he learned from his time in Castle Oblivion. He thought of what DiZ, the King, and Naminé had taught him. "_If you can face the darkness unflinchingly, you will never again know fear._" Naminé had said that to him while he was fighting Zexion, disguised as Sora, on the recreated Destiny Islands. "_I've tempered the darkness in your heart._" The shadow-Ansem had told him that when he granted him the power of darkness.

That's it! Ashamed that he hadn't thought of it earlier, Riku remembered how he'd carefully used the power of darkness to fight his way through Castle Oblivion, and how he'd eventually used it to defeat the Ansem inside his heart. Even though he'd beaten him, Ansem and his darkness were still deep inside him, and he could still call upon the great power they held. As long as he was neither afraid nor in reverence of the darkness, he could freely wield it as his weapon.

Concentrating with great effort, Riku willed the darkness in him to come forth. As he did so, he felt his body changing. Hair that was once full of volume shrank and hung loosely behind him. His figure, which had been slim but muscular, became large and bulky. Riku pulled back one of his gloves to see that skin that had once been so pale was now darkly tanned. He got up and found a puddle of water to see the reflection of his face in it. His eyes that used to be deep turquoise were now dark gold.

He was a mirror image of Ansem, seeker of darkness. However, if this was what it took to wake Sora, Riku was ready and willing to do it. Filled with a new resolve, he decided to exercise his new ability to use the corridors of darkness as he set off again on a journey to find Roxas.

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Yaay! All done!  
Gawd, this song is so depressing. It's like, 100 percent emo and 50 percent nonsensical. I'm lucky I found one verse that makes some semblance of sense.

So anyway, I like this one 'cause it reminds me of the "Another Side, Another Story -deep dive-" cutscene. You know, the one where Riku says "Why do you have the Keyblade!?" Other than that, it's just another track. Although I was hoping I'd get to use this song at some point.

Lyric translation-  
Imprisoned in a glass cage  
These wounded feelings will not thaw  
I will go quietly beyond the darkness  
To where the light most likely reaches (1)  
(1)- The translation I found for this line says "to where the light most likely reaches," but the word "yasashiteiru" is in it, which has to do with being kind. So, I think the actual translation is "to where the light kindly reaches." If anyone who knows this better than I do would like to enlighten me, that'd be great.


End file.
